NCCU School of Library and Information Sciences

What Courses Should I Take in the Distance Learning MLS Program?

The North Carolina Central University School of Library and Information Sciences offers an ALA accredited Master of Library Science (MLS) degree with courses offered evenings, Saturdays, summers, and online. All students must apply for admission to the MLS degree program and follow the prescribed course sequence. That is, any students taking online courses must meet the full admission requirements of the SLIS, or be registered as Special Students.

Note: Online courses are available for Master of Library Science students in the academic, public, special, and school media concentrations. Required courses for a concentration in archives and records management are not available online.

Admissions information for the MLS program may be found at http://www.nccuslis.org/distancelearning/dl-admission.htm.
All academic and related policies of the School of Library and Information Sciences are posted on its Web site: http://www.nccuslis.org.

Course Requirements

Required of All Students

LSIS 4000, Foundations of Librarianship and Information Services
LSIS 4220, Selection & Use of Information Sources
LSIS 4300, Uses and Users of Information
LSIS 4400, Organization of Information
LSIS 5120, Management and Systems
LSIS 5810, Research Methods (Should not be taken until the student is near the end of the MLS program)

Required of Academic, Public, and Special Library Students Only

One of the following:
(Required of students who entered the program after Fall 2007, may be used as electives for other students)

LSIS 5140, The Special Library/Information System
LSIS 5160, The Academic Library
LSIS 5180, The Public Library

Two of the following:

LSIS 5220, Social Sciences Resources and Services
LSIS 5230, Humanities Resources and Services
LSIS 5240, Science and Technology Resources and Services

Electives for Academic, Public, and Special Library Students Only

Elective courses to complete 36 hours (consult your academic advisor)

Required of School Media Students Only

See the School Media Coordinator page to view the required course of study, certification gateways, and other School Media Coordinator requirements.

Other Requirements

Language requirement

Students are also required to demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language, sign language, statistics, or a computer language. This requirement may be fulfilled by one semester of course work (3 hrs credit) in a foreign language, sign language, statistics, or a computer language at the undergraduate or graduate level. Original transcripts showing the pertinent courses must be provided as evidence prior to the application for graduation. Alternatively, the requirement may be fulfilled (a) if the student passes a modern language examination administered for this purpose by the Modern Foreign Language Department at North Carolina Central University in French, German, or Spanish, or (b) if the student has a currently valid professional IT certification. No courses taken for this purpose may be counted for course credit toward the master's degree.